Darkness Rising
by Greylocke
Summary: Riku wakes up in a grassy field, his memory on the events of Kingdom Hearts fuzzy at best. After a runin with an angry Gunblade master, Riku sets off a chain of events that will lead to one of the most shocking events of his life. Dead project
1. Fire, Blood, and Tears

Okay. I'm going to combine chapters 3 and 4, and expand them a whole lot. Later this afternoon, I'll post the edited chapter one and two. Also, I'm going to be starting on chapter five soon. That will be broken down into several pieces, and much more description will be added. Comparing the original writing to this is kinda depressing. The first version really sucked. Meh. Enough of my rambling.  
  
Warning: yaoi, angst, character death. Sounds cheery, eh?  
  
Disclaimer (I'll put it in from now on): I don't own these characters. I own the original ones, but none of the others.  
  
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Four days dragged by slowly. Four long days with only that hellish computer to talk to. Riku supposed that talking to an inanimate object made him a bit insane, but the computer wasn't doing anything to help that. He had decided that listening to something that cheerful for four days would drive anyone out of their minds. Although he did learn a lot about recent events, and the worlds.  
  
"So Sora defeated Ansem," Riku mused, thinking of his cinnamon haired friend, "Hope he doesn't enter the tournament until I've trained some more. But still, that explains something."   
  
Riku gazed out the view port, into the blue expanse outside, wondering where Sora was out there. Where home was. Deep aquamarine eyes probed the blue void, lingering on bright star after bright star. He was doing what he had always wanted; seeing other worlds, doing whatever he wanted. But now, all he wanted was to be home again, with his friends. The scars that Ansem had inflicted on him ran more than skin deep.  
  
"We will be arriving in twenty minutes! It's been a pleasure to have you on board! I hope you'll ride on this ship again!" the computer chirped, interrupting Riku from his thoughts.   
  
"Twenty minutes. I get the feeling that I should have never taken this ship from Leon. He might have at least known how to turn off the computer," Riku thought to himself.  
  
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A heavy fog drifted across the darkened plaza, illuminated in a greenish light from several lamps scattered about the cobblestone paths. Shadows flitted across the ground, melting back into the imposing buildings and menacing alleyways. Halloween town. Full of monsters as always. Of course, that was one of the reasons that Sora loved the place; for once, the darkness was something normal and not horrible. It let him get away. With the appearance of new types of Heartless, even though Kingdom Hearts had been sealed, Halloween town had become the new attraction for thrill seeking warriors and experienced Heartless hunters. But none of them ever seemed to be around when they were needed.  
  
Sora whipped about the mob of shadows, flicking his Keyblade left and right, falling Heartless everywhere. They dissolved into wisps of black smoke, more appearing to replace them. In the darkness, Sora's black clothing blended with the heavy fog, making it appear as though the Heartless were just rapidly disappearing on their own. Sora grew tired of fighting through them after a while, and retreated to his ship. Sleek and elegant, he had bought it with munny he had earned in the Coliseum, and had been headed for Hollow Bastion and Halloween Town every few weeks to hunt heartless ever since. The computer was flashing that he had a call coming in, and he punched a button on the dashboard.  
  
"Sora, Leon still hasn't been back yet. They found his ship in Traverse Town thirty minutes ago. The computer says that he was last on a remote world tracking down what the scanners showed to be a Heartless," came Yuffie's cheerful voice, although the concern could be detected no matter how she tried to mask it.  
  
"Don't worry Yuffie. Just give me the coordinates and I'll go and see if he's OK," he said, and copied down the coordinates that the ninja gave him.  
  
An hour later, he was blasting towards the small world, which hadn't even been named. It was just a grassy field with a few trees, and no one lived there. From Halloween town, it would take him a few days to get there; he found himself wishing that he had brought more food with him, as his stomach was rumbling less than an hour after leaving.  
  
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Traverse Town was an odd place, Riku decided. He had wandered the streets for thirty minutes, noticing many oddities about the place. It seemed as though it was always night in the town. Riku didn't mind the night though; in a way, the dark of night excited and thrilled him. Everything seemed so much more mysterious after the sun went down; it might have been what drew him into Maleficent and Ansem's trap. He turned his thoughts to other places. The last thing he needed was to break down now.  
  
After more wandering, he finally went to the First District item's shop. The inside was warm and cozy, and reminded him much of the small shacks on Destiny Islands that he and his friends used to camp in. Staffs, shields, and potions lined the walls, but he didn't see any swords.  
  
"Do you have any swords?" he asked what looked like a duck wearing a green cap and shirt, sitting on the counter. It appeared to run the store.  
  
"Sure. We have five in stock, but we keep them on display in the back. Come this way," the duck replied in a high pitch, leading him into a backroom. There were five swords on display, as promised, all gleaming sharp and deadly. Riku had found several hundred munny on Leon's ship, so he pocketed it before heading for the shop. He reminded himself to pay the man back if he ever saw him again. But for now, it was time to spend a bit of cash. Out of the five swords, he soon found his favorite. It was light, and perfectly balanced. While he noticed that his spell casting ability seemed slightly impaired, he bought it anyway. After all, he didn't often cast spells. After leaving the shop, he headed for the back alleys. Time to test the new sword out on some Heartless.  
  
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The sun beat down from the clear blue sky, spots of shade cast about the arena, mostly on the stands. A group of black shadowy figures moved across the center stage area, dodging about a fighter. One by one, the dark Heartless fell as the figure dashed in between them, hacking and slashing left and right. Sweat plastered the combatants shoulder-length silver hair to his forehead, and he was panting heavily. The last of the Heartless dodged to the left of him, and Riku shot past it. The dark creature jumped, preparing to slash at Riku's exposed back. Using his momentum, he stopped, losing his balance immediately, and starting to fall to the ground. The Heartless flew over him, and Riku brought his blade up as it did, the silvery sword flashing in the sun, blinding the spectators for a moment. When they regained their senses, Riku was lying on the ground, dead still. There were no Heartless to be seen.  
  
The crowd waited on baited breath, watching the prone figure intently. Very slowly, he pushed off the ground, standing up, dust from the ground falling from his clothing. He raised the blade above his head, grinning ear to ear. The crowd seemed to be shocked for a moment. But then it passed, and they jumped to their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs and cheering as loud as they could. It looked as though Riku would be going on to the next round.  
  
The silver haired boy started for the arena exit to prepare for his next match. He glanced at the chart on the way out, showing his next opponent. He felt his heart leap into his mouth as he read out the names. 'Leon and Yuffie.'  
  
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Leon had finished sharpening his Gunblade, and polishing it for the last time, a few minutes before the battle started. He heard footsteps, and looked up. A tall blonde man with spiky hair and bright blue eyes was standing there, his arms crossed. He wore a red cape, and a layer of padded leather battle armor. On his right hand, a glove with claws affixed to it gleamed, showing off it's deadly use, though his left hand didn't clutch his gigantic buster blade.  
  
"Don't kill yourself out there, Squall," he said, smirking slightly, "You'd just hate to waste Sora's effort to track you down and pick you up off that rock in the middle of nowhere..."  
  
"For the last time, the kid stole my ship! I didn't even catch his name. Rikay or something," the Gunblade master snapped back, "Its just a good thing that Cid got Sora that ship, or I would be stranded there for a while."  
  
"No need to get upset, Leonheart," Cloud replied, almost breaking into a grin, "Just wishing you good luck. After all, if you lose, I don't get to fight you. And I'd love to see how all the training you did against that poor tree affected your fighting style. Must have been a tough fight."  
  
"That so, Strife? Well at least I had a chance to clean my sword before this tournament. I don't know how Sora talked me into this," Leon growled in reply.  
  
"He threatened to leave you on that little planet," Cloud stated, matter-of-factly. Leon glared at him. Leon glared at everyone for that matter, so it probably wasn't anger as much as amusement and embarrassment.  
  
"Ready to go?" came Yuffie's excited voice from the Arena door, "Don't want to miss our big fight!"  
  
"Yeah. What Heartless are we fighting today?" Leon asked, moving towards the ninja as Cloud entered the entrance to the stands.  
  
"A real warrior apparently! Named... Riku," Yuffie said, scanning the name list.  
  
"WHAT!?!?!?"  
  
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Riku walked into the arena confidently. No one had been able to beat him so far, and this Leon guy probably couldn't either. He hoped. He had noticed that Leon would have backup this time. Best take her out first, than handle the swordsman. The sun slapped his face with warmth as he strode across the dusty field, and took his place in the center. He noticed a small tuft of brown hair in the stands, attempting to see over an enormously large man in front of him. He grinned slightly. Completely hopeless spectators. He saw the gate at the other end of the arena open, and Leon strode out, a girl, about fifteen it looked like, following him. The Gunblade master had his weapon over his shoulder, holding it in one hand. A good battle pose. The girl seemed unarmed, but Riku noticed a pouch with small points in it, guessing some type of Ninja stars or spiked balls. Riku faced Leon, and couldn't resist grinning. Leon glared back at him, and mouthed the words "I'm going to kill you, than poke holes in your body with your own sword."  
  
A bell announced the start of the fight. Leon charged straight at Riku, yelling out a mighty roar and swinging his Gunblade upwards, ready to make a downslash at Riku. Riku quickly rolled to one side, dodging the attack easily. Just as he stopped, a sharp ninja star landed right in front of him, burying itself in the dirt an inch from his foot. He jumped backyards, deflecting another star with his sword. Leon charged at him again, leaping up in the air and slashing downwards. Riku jumped back, but was hit with the shockwave that the attack gave off. The Gunblade master rushed at him, and quickly slashed again at him. Riku blocked the attack with his own sword.  
  
"I hope that you don't hope to win using these tactics," Riku said, smirking.  
  
"I'll teach you the meaning of the word 'win' you little--" but his words were cut off as the crowds cheered. A pain shot through Riku's arm. He looked down and saw blood trickling out of a cut in his arm. The ninja star had scraped his skin, barely missing, but leaving a large gash in the side of his arm near the shoulder. Leon quickly took advantage of this distraction, pressing the flat of the Gunblade hard against the cut. Riku screamed in pain, but ducked to the side, and hit the next ninja star as hard as he could at the Gunblade master. The ninja star hit Leon's thick glove, causing him to drop his weapon, cradling his hand.  
  
Riku charged at Yuffie, hitting her with the flat of his blade once. She fell to the ground, but jumped back up and somersaulted over Riku's head. Riku quickly hit the ground, as a ninja star came from behind. He rolled to the side, and threw his sword at Yuffie. It buried itself in a pillar, and she ran into it, knocking her out. Leon was back on his feet though. He ran at Riku again, but Riku had one surprise that Leon didn't expect. Riku pulled a small dagger from a sheath on his leg, and blocked Leon's attack. The dagger went flying, but Riku managed to stay upright. He ran to his sword and plucked it out of the pillar just in time to block Leon's attack. Leon slashed downwards at him, but Riku ducked to the side and raised his sword to Leon's neck.  
  
"Not even magic could heal this. Drop your blade and admit I won," Riku said, panting. Sweat trickled down Leon's face, mingled with a small bit of blood from a few of the blows he had taken. He obeyed, still glaring at Riku. As the sword clattered to the ground, a great cheer rose from the stands. Everyone stood up, except the fat man, who passed out, giving the small tuft of brown hair a chance to see. Sora leapt to his feet to see the winner. Riku saw him at the same time, and nearly dropped his sword.  
  
Leon and Yuffie left, in care of medics, and the crowd filed out to see the losers of the mighty battle. Riku stood in the middle of the arena, looking up at the blue eyes that had stayed in the stands.  
  
Blue eyes met Riku's bright aquamarine, betraying shock, wonder, confusion, and several other emotions that Riku couldn't comprehend.  
  
"Come on. I'll tell you about it outside," Riku said back, pointing towards the privacy exit for tired warriors who wanted some peace. Sora nodded numbly, and followed Riku through to door.  
  
"Riku! It thought that I would never see you again!" Sora said as soon as they were both within earshot of eat other. He ran forward, hugging his best friend fondly. Riku grinned, looking down at the slightly shorter Sora. Sora looked up into his best friends sea green eyes, and returned the grin. There was no awkwardness, and both sets of eyes silently agreed to not ask the questions they were dying to know the answers to until they were in a more private place.  
  
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"How did you get out? I thought that King Mickey had locked the door!" Sora said, still excited from seeing his best friend. There was a twenty minute break in the fighting, until Leon and Yuffie were both capable of getting to the stands again.  
  
"I don't know. My memory is patchy after the first fight we had at Hollow Bastion... I remember a door, but after that, all I remember is darkness. A while later, I woke up on that small world," Riku said, brow furrowing trying to remember what had happened.  
  
"Leon told me the rest. How you took his ship and all," said Sora, grinning, "That took some guts. You'd think that he'd kill you with the glare. I didn't think he'd try in an arena fight!" Riku laughed. He seemed to have been grinning and laughing for the past ten minutes, since he had seen his brown haired friend again. Sora had been the same way, but Sora was always like that. He was Sora.  
  
"You know Leon?" Riku asked, than remembered the small house in Traverse Town, "I had forgotten about that!"  
  
"Wow. Must have been through a lot to forget that. I thought that was the reason for-" Sora began, but Riku cut him off.  
  
"Yeah... Well. What have you been doing lately?" Riku asked, trying to shift the conversation.  
  
"Not much. I make a steady income off tournaments. Keyblade's handy that way," Sora said, sensing that Riku didn't want to talk about recent events in his own life. And so they talked, for the entire twenty minutes. Talking about Heartless, Traverse Town, Riku's new sword, Leon, Yuffie, Aeris, Cid, and what had been happening in the different worlds. They even talked about Kairi for a while, but the conversation was short - Sora hadn't seen her yet, and Riku had nothing to say really. And the horn blew for the next battle to begin.  
  
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The Keyhole...Locked!... We can fix this... the Neo-Heartless... They will fix it! They will fix it! Call the Neo-Heartless... the Keyhole! We will take it... the masters... both at the same time... the Keyhole! The Keyhole!  
  
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Riku felled the last of the next group of Heartless, gigantic fat things that breathed fire, and smaller ones who shot fire. 'Bunch of pyros…' Riku thought to himself. The last Heartless's smoky remains disintegrated into the air, but the world seemed to be shacking still... Than Riku realized that it was shacking. And the shacking was getting heavier and heavier by the second. Brown clouds formed in the sky, splashing fat raindrops down on the arena spectators, as though the sky itself was bleeding. Lightning streaked across the sickened air. Then, they started to appear. Taller than shadows, but with the same appearance. They had longer claws, and seemed to dance as they moved, glaring at Riku with amber eyes. Spectators screamed, and scrambled to their feet, tearing out of the stadium. Riku called his Dark Keyblade, and Sora called his Keyblade, and ran down into the arena floor, ready to fight with his friend. Riku and Sora began letting into them, hacking and slashing, but there seemed to be no end to them. Leon and Cloud ran in, their weapons in hand. They started attacking the nearby Heartless, working their way towards the two younger boys.  
  
"Sora! The Keyhole! It's been unlocked and shattered! The Heartless are taking this world," Leon shouted, bringing the blade down on one of the strange new creatures.  
  
"Hurry! We need to get out of here before they overwhelm us!" Cloud yelled, slashing a nearby Heartless.  
  
"Riku, we have to go!" Sora shouted above the thunder, pulling Riku towards the exit. These shadows were surrounding them now, however, and trying to cut off their escape route. A grim determination set over Riku.  
  
"Sora... run!" He said, pulling away from Sora and whacking a few Heartless away, "Run before it's too late! I'll hold them and be right behind you guys in a second!"  
  
"...Riku..." Sora began.  
  
"Sora! He's right! Their cutting us off! We need to get out of here! He can still make it in time!" Leon told Sora, he and Cloud moving towards the arena exit.  
  
"Sora..." Riku began, defending the doorway. Sora turned, looking at him quizzically.  
  
"Riku?" Sora asked.  
  
"I... I love you..." Riku said, brushing his lips against Sora's. Just as he finished the brief kiss, a huge bolt of lightning rent the sky, hitting the Coliseum entrance above Riku. Large chunks of stone fell, as the doorway collapsed. Riku pushed Sora through the door, and yelled, "Run!" still fighting off the Heartless.  
  
"I love you too, Riku!" Sora shouted as the doorway collapsed completely, sealing him off from his friend. Leon dashed in, grabbing Sora.  
  
"Sora, we have to go NOW! This place is going to become a big speck of nothing in a few seconds!" Leon yelled, pulling Sora towards the ship. Sora struggled, trying to get back to the door.  
  
"Riku! He's still inside!" Sora shouted, pulling against the older man's grip.  
  
"It's too late! We have to go!" Leon replied, "Sora... We have to go now... please!" Sora seemed to give in. He ran up the ship ramp with Leon, and the ship quickly blasted out of the world's atmosphere. Sora looked back through the window, to see Riku still fighting under the dome of magic that sealed the coliseum. He quickly headed for his small cabin, locking the door behind him. Cloud stood up, heading for the door to comfort him.  
  
"Let him be Cloud. He needs the time right now," Leon said, pulling the swordsman back to his seat.  
  
"Think he'll be alright?" Cloud asked  
  
"I honestly don't know," Leon replied.  
  
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Riku continued to fight for a while. The storm got increasingly worse, and finally, the world seemed to start to fall apart. Slowly, he was pushed into a corner of the arena, overwhelmed by the Heartless. Suddenly, the Heartless all gave a shriek and vanished. The Dark Keyblade vanished out of Riku's exhausted grip, and Riku ran for the other door. He got through, and out to the ship pad, but found that there were no ships left. He ran back inside, into the lobby, trying to find a way out. The Keyhole was broken... that meant he couldn't lock it. He looked over at the Keyhole, which was seeping dark energy.  
  
A flash of blinding pain screamed through his head. It felt as though something had ripped deep inside of him. Riku dropped to one knee, clutching his heart. He could barely hear a voice speaking to him through his mind, the words echoing through his consciousness, but the pain was so intense that he couldn't make out anything but a hostile meaning. His vision blurred, and he felt another flash of pain and words run through his mind.  
  
angerhatebetrayaldeathhurtharm  
  
Slowly, his world went black. The last thing he saw was darkness spreading from the Keyhole, up the walls and onto the floor. It was taking over the room. As Riku lost consciousness, he became aware of the familiar feeling of darkness beginning to cover his body. Then there was nothing.  
  
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WOW!!!! My longest chapter yet! Almost five pages! Lots of stuff happening in this one. The next chapter will deal a lot with Deep Dive, the secret video in Kingdom Hearts, which you can see at http://www.geocities.com/jevonderrick/ by clicking the picture next to the Deep Dive info. It will also deal with Another Side, Another Story, but I don't know where you can see this one. I may end up breaking it into three parts, just because of the length that this may take. Anyway, there will be lots to do, but after the next chapter (which may be up to three parts) there will be my little RikuXSora lemon. I didn't think it right to put it in this chapter, cause it would ruin my ideas for the story. Anyway, R&R all! I hope to start getting more people reviewing with a chapter this long! : ( All the other KH fics with more than one chapter have more review than my poor Misery here. Aw well.  
  
Until Next Time (which may be a while),  
  
The Dark Winged One 


	2. Awakening

Well here it is! Chapter one of the Misery of Mystery! The name doesn't really fit the plot, so that will change pretty soon along with the rest of it.  
  
Warnings: yaoi, future angst, future character death, and future Kairi-bash. Don't flame me for the yaoi. Just don't read the story. Also, don't flame me for Kairi-bashing. I don't like her. Period.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or the characters in it. I only own my iPod. I love my iPod. And I own Zephyr, but no one else! Now then:  
  
Along time ago... just kidding.  
  
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Darkness. No matter where he looked, all he saw was darkness. He shivered, feeling cold all of the sudden, even though the darkness surrounded him, letting no emotion - no concept of cold or warmth through. How could he be so cold if he had never known warmth? But he had. So long ago, he had. He closed his eyes, hoping, praying, that this was a nightmare, and that he would wake up back on the islands. Away from this plague, this seed of evil that had rooted into his mind. But he knew that it would not happen. He knew that he could not go back to his old life, with all his friends, Wakka, Tidus, Kairi, Selphie, Sora... Sora.  
  
He felt the darkness snaking up his ankles, moving up his legs. He kicked, he screamed, he shouted. He beat at the darkness with his hands, clawed at it. Hit fists seared with a burning pain, he beat the darkness so. But it would not be stopped. It snaked up his chest, up to his neck. A flash of memory seemed to run through him, like an electric jolt. But he had never seen this before - it wasn't memory. A castle, a portal of some kind, there was a duck and a dog and... Sora? As soon as the image had appeared it was gone. And he was back, fighting the darkness. He blacked out, his spirit leaving his body as the darkness slipped over his head, cutting off his precious air, as foul as it was.  
  
He seemed to be in a half dream, floating through the shadows towards a light. Then he was at the castle again, the inside made of evenly spaced stones. The light seemed blinding here, although he realized that it must really be dim. The stones looked old and moss covered - it was dank and cold. He glanced around for a moment, confused. There was a man, tall and sinister, with fierce golden eyes. His long white hair streamed down his back, and he almost glowed with dark power, except it wasn't a glow. It was more of an aura of all that was evil - darkness, pain, hate, deceit... He was attacking Sora. Riku quickly threw himself in front of the man, noticing that the man faltered in front of him.  
  
"Sora! Run!" he shouted.  
  
"Riku..." Sora said, confused, before the man started to break Riku's grip. Sora ran out of the castle. The man sneered and said something, but Riku couldn't quite hear. The man raised a hand, pointing it at Riku, and there was another flash of darkness. Riku floated through the darkness again. He felt the darkness closing in on him, though this time on his spirit. It reached his head, he felt salty tears running down his face. The pain grew, screaming in his head, haunting and vibrant. The last of the darkness closed around his face, invading his mouth, forcefully tearing its way through his body. And then it was gone.  
  
Riku sat bolt upright, noticing several things at once. First, there was sun. Brilliant sun, filtering down from the sky through the leaves of the tree under which he sat. Second, he noticed that the air was clean and clear, not the foul, horrid substance that he had choked down moments before.  
  
"What..." Riku panted, catching his breath. He was sweating a cold sweat, from fear he guessed. It made his hair cling to his forehead, partially obscuring his vision. He brushed the silver strands out of his face, glancing around again. He was in a grassy field, decorated only by the tree that he was leaning against. He looked around. Riku tried to remember what had happened after the darkness had snaked up around his neck for the second time. He remembered a door. A massive, metal door. Cold in all ways, menacing. It was closing, and he was helping pull it closed. Then he remembered the darkness choking him, forcing itself inside his mouth. He choked, and then woke here. Had it all been a dream? But if that was the case, where was he? Some grassy nook, tucked out of the way on the island? No - the air didn't carry the salt of the sea or the minute droplets of water that he was used to. His thoughts were interrupted by a sword burying itself in the wood beside his face.  
  
"Dammed Heartless!" yelled the man holding the sword. He had brown hair and gray eyes, and a scar running down his face. He wore leather pants, and a white shirt, with there was a black vest over it. Riku recognized it as warrior clothing, but expensive nonetheless. It was easy to move about in, but not so loose that it tripped him up. Riku figured that this man knew what he was doing, and knew how to dice Riku into fifty small pieces with three swings of his sword.  
  
"What? No wait!" Riku shouted, raising his hands. He remembered the heartless - the vile creatures of darkness. The Keyblade, too, and everything up to the point at Hollow Bastion, where the man in the cloak had offered him a Dark Keyblade, and a chance to defeat the person whom he had been turned against by clouded judgment and evil intent. And, right on cue, the dark blade appeared in his hands, blocking the man's second assault. Riku fought to his feet and took a fighter's stance. The swordsman charged him again, but Riku dodged neatly to the side and whacked the back of the man's head with the butt of his own blade.  
  
"There seems to have been some confusion. Why would you think I was a Heartless?" Riku demanded, regaining his usual air of confidence at the minor victory.  
  
"You're wearing it all over you," the man said hostilely, pointing to Riku's chest. Riku looked down at his clothes. He was indeed wearing the black form fitting shirt, with the large heartless logo on it that he had remembered wearing at Hollow Bastion.  
  
"I'm not one of them," Riku said, trying to remember what happened after the man with the cloak - Ansem, Riku thought he was called.  
  
"Than what are you doing here?" the man pointed out, "You're not a Heartless, but you obviously support them. Why don't I just take you back to my friends and we can have a little chat about what's been happening with Ansem these days."  
  
"Your not taking me anywhere. I seem to be the better fighter here," Riku replied calmly, readying himself for an attack.  
  
"Why you little-!" the man began, but stopped halfway through, "You're not worth the trouble. Plus, you're too much of a snot nosed punk to be working with the Heartless."  
  
"The fact that I could finish you right here probably helps too," Riku said sarcastically, strolling towards a ship a few yards away. He glanced at the ship from the outside while the man surveyed the nearby terrain, obviously searching for another threat. Riku climbed up the ladder and got inside as the swordsman turned around.  
  
"Hey! That's my ship!" the warrior shouted.  
  
"I'm just borrowing it," Riku yelled back, closing the small hatch.  
  
"But I can't get out of here without it! When I find out who you are, you're so dead!"  
  
"When you get off here, then, you might want to start looking for Riku," Riku replied, pressing the button marked 'TAKEOFF,' and leaving Squall Leonheart standing in the field, still shouting at the leaving ship.  
  
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Space was the oddest shade of blue. Riku had decided this after looking through the giant bubble window of the small ship. Very small. One cabin, one bathroom, and the cockpit with one seat. The cabin was walled with a gray, fuzzy, carpet-type material, as was the attached bathroom. The bed was about as comfortable as a bumpy rock, so Riku guessed that Leon didn't use the ship much. The cabin contained a small desk with a light, and a closet, which was neatly lined with outfits of two sizes. Not the most comfortable, but a nice ship nonetheless. And as much as he hated stealing from Leon, he needed the ship. On the other hand, Leon had tried to kill him, so he decided it was a fair trade. After all, someone would pick the Gunblade master up. Someday.  
  
Riku looked up through the bubble again. It looked as if some kind of blue mist was covering the ship, yet you could see through it, like foggy blue glass. A myriad of stars twinkled at Riku from their separate places in the night sky. Stars. That meant that Sora must have defeated the Heartless. The worlds were safe. At least, from the Heartless. He swung his legs off the dashboard, and stood up. Stretching, he looked down at the computer in front of him.  
  
"Map. That may help. Where the hell is the map?" Riku said to himself.  
  
"The map is located in the central hub. Please click the Central Hub button, and go to Storage. Inside of there is a map," a computerized voice chipped cheerfully. Riku winced at the high pitched voice.  
  
"Thanks. I think," Riku replied, still a bit surprised at the talking computer. He put his hands on the knees of his leather pants, waiting for the computer to load. A quick stop in the cabin's closet had gotten him some clothes that were almost his size. The funny thing was that they were a tiny bit too short, when they should be too big. He had also found a plain blue black shirt similar to what Leon had been wearing, but his size - it clung to Riku's chest, showing off his muscles, yet was still loose enough and stretchy enough to fight in. Riku swore that this guy had been expecting him or something. Weird.  
  
Riku opened the map. Riku looked at the map. Riku closed the map.  
  
"Who have thought that there would be this many worlds? Great," Riku muttered, glancing at the most frequently visited worlds list, "Traverse Town, Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah, Hollow Bastion." Ansem's world. Riku wanted to vomit at the sound of the name. A Coliseum meant a tournament, and some easy money, but Riku didn't want to advertise his dark weapon. He decided to head towards Traverse Town instead. "Sounds like a good place to get some information, and a new sword."  
  
"Setting course for. Traverse Town," the computer gleeped happily, "Estimated time of arrival: 4 days."  
  
"Four days!?!?" Riku barked indignantly  
  
"Four days, two hours, twenty three minutes, and three point zero five seconds," the computer chirped.  
  
"Great..." Riku muttered, swearing to harm the computer someday.  
  
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It was night in Traverse Town. It was almost always night there, except for four months where it got as sunny and hot as an Agrabah summer. Zippers clinging off his red jumpsuit, Sora strolled happily down the street towards the First District. He had won a tournament at the Coliseum, and had decided to celebrate by buying Leon, Aeris, Yuffie, and Cid dinner at the small restaurant in the First District. Sora jogged the rest of the way, and plopped down in his usual large booth. A few minutes later, Yuffie showed up, dragging Cid and Aeris behind them.  
  
"Hey," Sora greeted them, "Where's Leon?" he asked, frowning slightly.  
  
"He went out Heartless hunting a few days ago. We thought he'd be back by now," Yuffie responded, "Probably lying dead on a desolate world, being eaten away by Heartless," she joked  
  
"Don't joke about that Yuffie. We never know if he is or isn't," interjected Aeris, as she sat down, folding her hands neatly in her lap.  
  
"All I know is that if he doesn't show up, I'm not going hungry," Cid said gruffly.  
  
"I'm sure that he'll be here soon. But in the meantime, Cid's right," Sora said, as the waiter passed out menus. They placed their orders, and proceeded to talk about the tournament. Starting in last, as Sora always did (for the challenge), Sora had beaten his way to second, only to be almost defeated by Cloud. Luckily, Donald had cast Blizzard at just the right moment, giving Sora a chance to defeat the powerful swordsman. Cloud never showed up in Traverse Town, and Donald and Goofy had to go back to the castle to make sure things were OK there. It was lucky that Cid had a warp gummi, or it would have taken two days of flying to reach Traverse Town.  
  
"So when is the next tournament, Sora?" Aeris asked  
  
"Not for another two weeks. It'll give me a chance to train though! I'm going to be heading for Halloween Town. There are always Heartless to be found there," said Sora excitedly. He loved visiting the spooky town, although he didn't get the chance to very often.  
  
"You just better watch out for Squall and I, Sora. Next tournament, you don't stand a chance!" Yuffie said energetically, patting her case of ninja stars.  
  
"You're not the only one who's been training Yuffie!" Sora said, and so the evening went on pleasantly, peaceful. No one at the table was aware that in two weeks, their worlds would be turned upside down.  
  
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Well. It's not great, but it's a start. Now then, next on the order is breaking down chapter five into several parts and reworking those. Hope you guys like it so far!  
  
Now then. Pretend the review button is the Pillsbury Toaster Boy. You know how his little tummy is always getting pushed in the commercials? (in other words, PLEASE review!) 


	3. Searching

Hi all! I think I may get this chapter done tonight, before I leave for the weekend. The RikuXSora lemon will be in the chapter after this, if this goes according to plan. I don't want to interject some random sex or anything, as I have a VERY detailed plan for this story. I do want to add it in, however, just as a little reward for my faithful reviewers. Anyways, the next few chapters, including the lemon chapter ;), will really focus on advancing the storyline, so these will be a bit longer than the past chapters. This chapter deals with my view on what Deep Dive was all about, and I am currently on my fifth rewrite of this chapter. The first few times ended up sounding overall stupid, so I hope this final version will be what you all want. I didn't want to try too hard to work to fit everything into the secret video onto this, so don't sue me if I leave out a few things. Also, Cloud and Leon will reappear in the next few chapters. I don't know if they will be a couple or not. I'm going to leave this up to you guys: If you want a Cloud Leon pairing, at the bottom of your next review, type yes or no. If I have enough yes's, you'll see a Cloud Leon pairing, but THERE WILL PROBABLY NOT BE A LEMON BETWEEN THE TWO IN THIS FIC!!!! Finally, this fic will only be about ten chapters or so, but I will most likely make a sequel if it is popular enough.  
  
Zephyr: This is the double-wielder from the video, but besides that, he is an original character. I am not ripping of any Final Fantasy character or another fic character, and while I have seen the "Thoughts of Zephyr" fic, I have not read it. The name I picked myself, as I wanted something to fit with the pattern of Sora, Riku, Leon, Cloud, ect. Sorry if this pisses anyone off. If at anytime Riku and Zephyr seem like a couple to you, ninja gerbils will track you down and hack you into pieces for their pet humans. I don't know if I will pair Zephyr with anyone, but I do have one or two plans that I may follow, but whatever I decided, Zephyr and Riku will not be a couple. I may decide to experiment one day in the future, and do a "what if" of this story, having Zephyr and Riku as a couple, but then it would be an angst overload, so I won't do that now. If I decided to commit suicide that is what I would write before I jumped.  
  
Reviews: Heather Christi: Don't worry. The next chapter will be the lemon. Glad to know that you'll stick with me this long.  
  
Sora Lover: Angel of Darkness: Yes there will be a sex scene, most likely in the next chapter. I'm not going to turn this into a porn fic though. This will most likely be the only time I go into detailed description, so after the next chapter, don't hold your breath if you want more lemons after this. As I have said THERE MAY BE A CLOUD LEON PAIRING but there MOST LIKELY will NOT be a lemon. I may decided to throw you readers a bone (figure of speech not a sick joke) but that's just if I'm feeling nice. Like I said: this story has a plot which I WILL be following.  
  
Note: THIS CHAPTER IS LONG LONG LONG! I PLAN ON IT BEING AT LEAST 6 PAGES IF NOT MORE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!  
  
Now, on with the fic.  
  
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A world without you. . . A fragmented tale. . . "A creation born of ignorance. . ." Ansem's Report A world between - a forgotten world. . . The third enemy = Nobody. "Who is nobody you ask? They are the non existent ones."  
  
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Shapes. . . blurry shapes. . . light? 'Am I dead?' thought Riku to himself. He couldn't see right, but he could make out the shape of a person standing over him.  
  
"He's awake!" came a young voice - no older than sixteen, "And it took him long enough!"  
  
"W. . .Who. . ." managed Riku, but he found that it hurt terribly to talk  
  
"We were beginning to be worried," came another voice, behind him, older though. Riku tried to look at the source of the voice, but couldn't see clearly enough, and winced in pain as he turned his neck.  
  
"Hey! Don't try to move! You've been through a lot! Here," said the first shape, pressing what felt like a glass into Riku's hands, "Drink this. It'll help your throat."  
  
"Zephyr, his eyes do not appear to have healed yet. Bring me a blindfold, would you?" Asked the other voice  
  
"Sure thing. Is it really necessary?" Zephyr asked  
  
"If light hits his eyes now, it will only make them worse," came the second voice.  
  
"Alright," Zephyr said, and Riku saw his shape move away. He could see from the side a glimpse of blonde, and Riku assumed it was hair. A second later, he felt a smooth cloth go over his forehead, and move over his eyes. He tried to duck away from it, but then realized that this must be the blindfold.  
  
"Relax. This will help your eyes heal," came the second voice, "Can you tell us your name?"  
  
"R. . .Ri. . ." Riku began, but coughed at the pain in his throat, "Riku" he managed to get out between coughs.  
  
"R-Ri-CoughcoughRiku? Odd name," came the voice of the one called Zephyr behind Riku. Riku managed a grin at the joke.  
  
"What happened?" Riku asked, taking a sip of the drink from a straw he felt poking out from the glass. It did help, "Where did the Coliseum go? Am I dead?"  
  
"No. You're in too much pain to be dead," came Zephyr's voice again, "You've been sound asleep for almost a week since we found you. We found you lying outside, so we figured that your world had been consumed. Your keyblade got smashed though. Lucky you had it, or you might have been completely destroyed."  
  
"I didn't know a keyblade could protect your heart. . ." Riku began, but the other voice cut him off.  
  
"It cannot. You showed great will and strength being able to survive."  
  
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Over the next few weeks, Riku's vision slowly grew back to normal, under the care of Zephyr, who was unceasingly curious about the silver haired boy. They talked a lot. Riku learned that Zephyr had lost his own world, and appeared here. A sword master took him in when Zephyr found two Keyblades, and he trained with the blades, growing into a competent swordsman. He had no memory of his past life, however, and took on the name Zephyr, after his sword master, who was killed in a Heartless attack a few years later. Before that, he had no real name - he couldn't remember it. In exchange for this information, Riku told Zephyr about Destiny Islands, the worlds being swallowed, and other such occurrences. It was the only thing to do really.  
  
"So what about the other guy? Who's he?" asked Riku, one day.  
  
"I'm not sure actually. He appeared here one day, and has been really mysterious every since. Fairly recently actually. A few weeks before you arrived. Must have lost his world. The Heartless are growing stronger. They have attacked other worlds around here, and we've been doing our best to fight them, but they seem to have found away to break keyholes using new Heartless. They seem smarter than the old ones, quicker too. Weaker though," Zephyr mused, "But I'm getting off topic! Sorry about that."  
  
Riku laughed, "Well at least I don't feel as alone knowing that other people have popped up here too," he replied.  
  
"Yeah. I just hope that we can get our worlds back somehow. From these Neo-Heartless," Zephyr said. The name struck a familiar cord within Riku. He had heard the name in his dreams, repeated over and over. He had envisioned them, and then, when described, found that they seemed to match perfectly with what he thought they were.  
  
"Hey you two! The feast is starting! Hurry up!" came the voice of Podin, one of the children their age. There was a feast today, to mark the celebration of the village "Christmas" holiday.  
  
"C'mon Riku! Don't want to be late!" Zephyr said, helping the silver haired boy up and leading him towards the village. Riku had learned the path by now, but it still helped to have Zephyr to guide him.  
  
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Several weeks later, Riku's blindfold came off. His eyes had healed, apparently blinded in the transition between worlds. Zephyr was fairly tall, about the same height as Riku, and the same age, Riku found out. He had blonde hair that came down partially over his brown eyes. He wore black shoes similar to Sora's, but not as long, and black pants. Traditional warrior garb really. There was another feast, to celebrate, and Riku got to see everything this time. The village was small. Very small. The houses were mostly made of wood and reeds, and floored in wood. Not primitive, but not high-tech either. It reminded Riku a lot of Sora and his secret island back at home, although he supposed that they had shared it with Kairi and the others. Sora and him had actually found it first, getting pulled to it by the current one day while swimming. They later showed it to the others after making it back to the main island. Riku's thoughts were almost constantly on Sora now days. Not even his new found friend Zephyr new of his love for the cinnamon haired boy. It was his deepest secret, and he wasn't about to tell just anyone. He had told Zephyr that he was going to try to find his friends after his blindfold came off, so Zephyr agreed to accompany Riku. Later, the other man agreed as well. Riku still didn't know his name.  
  
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A year had passed. Riku was seventeen, so was Zephyr. They had traveled to countless worlds thanks to the mysterious stranger. He had opened the worlds with a Keyblade that he possessed. Riku had only though that there were two keyblade masters, but he decided he was wrong. Zephyr wielded Oblivion and Oathkeeper, both gifts from Sora to Riku, and now from Riku to Zephyr because Riku had no Keyblade anymore. Zephyr promised to keep them both safe, however, and return them when their quest was done. None of the worlds that they had been to had been on Leon's starchart, so Riku assumed that they were far away. He wouldn't give up though. He had the hunch that Sora was at the next world that they were visiting. It was a small world, mostly coastal, and Riku thought that Sora had at least been there recently, by the people who they met saying that they had seen the red- clothed boy heading that way. They didn't find him, but they did manage to settle down abit on the world for a rest. It lasted until Riku's next birthday, the next month, before things started to get interesting again. The stranger had left for a while, and they hadn't seen him. He seemed to have vanished one day. Riku and Zephyr had camped out on the world, waiting for his return. This night was cold, and stormclouds were forming on the horizon. Zephyr snoozed on the small couch in the hotel room they had gotten, and Riku was stretched out on the bed, thinking about Sora.  
  
'I wonder if he's ok. He got out safely, I know that. Why did I stay behind? If we had both ran. . . but then the Heartless would have gotten us before we could reach the ships. . ."  
  
Just then, Zephyr sat bolt upright, "GHAAH!!" he yelled, obviously dreaming something. Riku got up and ran to his side.  
  
"Zephyr? What's wrong?" Riku asked, Zephyr looking confused, dazed, and scared, all at once.  
  
"Everything. . ." Zephyr said, a far away look on his face, "It's all ending. It's falling apart," he looked up at Riku, "I remember now. . . everything. . . and this is not how it is supposed to be. . ."  
  
"What do you mean? You remember your life? Before you came to the village?" Riku asked, probably looking more confused than his blonde haired friend  
  
"All of it. . ." He said, as if in a trance.  
  
"Why did you shout?" Riku asked.  
  
"This Heartless. . . They are tracking us. The Neo-Heartless.," Zephyr said  
  
"How do you know?" Riku asked  
  
"I'm not sure. . . We must get to another world quickly. They will arrive soon," Zephyr said  
  
"How do you know that?" asked Riku again  
  
"I feel them. . . I hear them. . . They are talking about the Keyhole. . . I'm not sure if its for this world or not, but they must be close," Zephyr said, standing up and grabbing his long rainjacket.  
  
"You must have been having a bad dream or something. There have been no Heartless here at all," Riku said again.  
  
"No. He is right, Riku," came a voice at the door. The stranger was standing there.  
  
"What? Don't tell me you can hear them too?" Riku said, slightly annoyed.  
  
"I have been able to hear them for long now. They have a plan. A plan I almost executed for them. Or at least, my heart almost did," the stranger said  
  
"Who are you?" said Riku and Zephyr at the same time  
  
"I am Ansem." He began, but raised his hands seeing Riku reach for his sword, "Wait! You were taken over by my heart! No my body or soul!"  
  
"Explain," Riku said, sword in hand.  
  
"When the world one is on is consumed by the darkness, the darkness overwhelms everyone who is on that world, turning their heart to darkness. This happened to me at Hollow Bastion. But a few. . . They survive. Neither living nor dead, however. They posses immeasurable power and fighting prowess, but often do not realize it. They are known as the nonexistent ones," Ansem said, "When my heart was hit by the light of Kingdom Hearts, my soul was released. My body had already been destroyed. But my heart was able to commit one final deed - awakening the Neo- Heartless. They are not Heartless you see. They seem to be, but you have seen that they are faster, and can break Keyholes. They are formed from Darkness, not ever possessing a heart, unlike the Heartless, who have only lost their hearts."  
  
"So you're telling me that we are these. . . nonexistent ones?" Riku asked  
  
"Yes. That is exactly what I am saying. It is obvious. The way you are able to wield two Keyblades of such power as Oblivion and Oathkeeper," Ansem said, pointing at Zephyr, "And the ability to almost sense when there is danger approaching, Riku. They are signs up hidden powers that you have not yet begun to realize yet!"  
  
"Than we must be able to stop these Neo-Heartless then." Riku began  
  
"No! We cannot stop them. They cannot be stopped, until the door to the light has opened!" Ansem replied hurriedly  
  
"Kingdom Hearts must be open! I got out!" Riku protested  
  
"Kingdom Hearts is not the door to the light! It is a mirror. . . a mere shadow of the real door," Ansem said, "I believe that Sora has been to another world near here recently. Within the last week. We must hurry!" He finished, opening a portal. Riku reluctantly stepped into the portal, still not trusting Ansem, and Zephyr loyally followed. Almost a second later they re-appeared on another world. They were on the outskirts of a large city. If was pouring rain, clouds for miles around.  
  
"Split up and look for Sora. We get to them before this world is destroyed!" Ansem said  
  
"Fine! Ansem, you had better be right!" Riku shouted over the rain and thunder that had now started, "How long do you think we have?"  
  
"Several hours at minimum! Hurry!" Ansem shouted, "Look at the sky, Riku! If these clouds were not here, you would see the wall of this world falling! The Heartless are arriving!" And with that, he headed towards the Eastern section of town.  
  
"Meet you by the tall building in an hour if you don't find them!" Zephyr shouted, heading West. Riku headed for the center of town. He knew Sora had been here. He could feel it in his heart. Or, his soul, if Ansem was right. It seemed to make sense now, but it was so difficult to believe. He reached the tall skyscraper without realizing it. He looked up, and decided that something could be done about the clouds. He had knowledge of magic. If he used Aero, is might clear some clouds away. He jumped on a ladder, his long raincoat billowing out behind him, and started climbing. He just needed to get to the first window. Reaching the window three floors up, he kicked the plane of glass, shattering the window instantly. He hopped into the room, looking around. It was a small office - four desks divided by cubicle partitions. He opened the hall door, and headed outside. He stalked down the hall, heading towards the stairs. In front of him, several Shadows appeared, facing the other direction. He ducked against the wall, not wanting to be seen. Opening a door to his right, he walked into a large cafeteria. Running towards the other door, he reentered the hall in front of the Shadows. Luckily, they had turned the other way, hearing the door click behind him. He continued down the hall, reaching the stairs, and starting to run up them. Using fire spells, he melted the locks to avoid from being found out.  
  
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Zephyr walked through the east streets of town. He had found several Shadows and Soldiers so far, but no Neo-Heartless. If Ansem and his fragmented memory were right, the Neo-Heartless were the ones to fear. He rushed a group of Shadows attacking a person in front of him, slashing a few into nothing. The others fled.  
  
"You'd best get inside, and warn any others to do the same," he said to the shocked man, who nodded numbly. Further down the street, he found ten Shadows assaulting another man, who had smashed the window to a gunshop and grabbed two pistols, which he was now firing at the Heartless. It was doing little damage, only serving to temporarily slow them down. Zephyr threw Oblivion, watching it spin through the air. It collided with Heartless after Heartless, destroying five others. He rushed forward, hacking with Oathkeeper, and catching Oblivion as it circled back to him. In a few more seconds, the Heartless were gone.  
  
"Behind you!" came the shout of the gunman. Zephyr glanced back, to see a Heartless about to slash him. He raised his blades in defense, but found that the Heartless was already bringing it's claws down. A golden keyblade slashed through the Heartless, wielded by Ansem.  
  
"You should be more careful," Ansem said, the Heartless turning into dark smoke after his attack, "Deliver this Keyblade to Riku if you would. I need him to open a portal, but there is something that I must attend to."  
  
"Sure. What is it that you have to, 'Attend to,' out of curiosity?" Zephyr asked, a bit wary of the stranger because of his sliver haired friend's reaction to the name 'Ansem.'  
  
"I am attempting to postpone the arrival of the Neo-Heartless. I won't need that Keyblade, but Riku may," Ansem replied.  
  
"I'll see you in a few hours then," Zephyr said, heading for the skyscraper. It would take a while to get there.  
  
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Riku had reached the top of the building. He raised his arms toward the sky, casting Aero. The burst of wind flew upward, parting the clouds, and revealing a large meteor shower. So Ansem was right. It wouldn't be long then, before the Neo-Heartless arrived. He saw Zephyr heading towards the base of the skyscraper.  
  
"Open a portal!" Zephyr yelled to Riku. Riku couldn't hear him, but got the idea of what he was attempting to way. He quickly took a black blindfold out of his pocket. He had watched Ansem enough to know how to open a portal, and he wasn't about to let himself be blinded again. He tied the blindfold on securely, and walked towards the edge of the building, feeling the force of gravity pulling him downwards. On the ground, the Neo-Heartless has arrived. Zephyr had Oblivion and Oathkeeper in his hands, and was battling the Heartless with the grace that Zephyr always battled with, spinning and kicking at the hundreds of creatures that were attacking him. He leapt into the air throwing Oblivion at the dark creatures attacking him, and then landed, catching Oblivion, and jumping to the top of the steps of the building. Seeing Riku preparing to jump, and knowing that Riku needed to be closer to the ground and have a Keyblade to open a portal, he panicked.  
  
'How the hell am I going to get the Keyblade up there?!?' He wondered frantically. Unconsciously, he jumped upwards, and found himself running up the side of the building. He dragged both Keyblades behind him, slashing at Heartless following him. As amazed at he was at the defiance of gravity, he focused at the task at hand.  
  
"Where's Sora?" he called up to Riku. Seeing Riku shake his head in an 'I don't know' gesture, he yelled, "We must find him!"  
  
"I don't think he is here anymore!" called back Riku. Zephyr threw Oblivion to Riku, pulling out the golden key that Ansem had given him. Riku jumped. He caught the Keyblade, soaring past the large screen that Zephyr was running up. Zephyr began to turn, to jump himself.  
  
Notlongnow. . . wedestroy. . . theKeybladesalldiehere!. . . theKeyholetheKeyhole!  
  
Zephyr and Riku both heard the Neo-Heartless now, knowing that soon this world would end. Riku slashed at the air in front of him, the ground rushing to meet him. A portal formed just as he was about to hit the ground, and he felt himself bump down unto wet gravel. Zephyr followed a few seconds after, the portal collapsing behind him as the world destroyed itself. He looked up, seeing a beach of rocky gravel and a wide sea, then collapsed, exhausted.  
  
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Zephyr awoke a few hours later. Riku was sitting on a rock a few yards away, his rainjacket hood up. He walked over to Riku, standing beside him watching the sunset.  
  
"So where are we?" asked Zephyr.  
  
"I'm not sure. It's familiar though. It looks like the End of the World. A place that Ansem went when his heart controlled me," Riku said.  
  
"So do you think that Sora is here?" asked Zephyr, not wanting to bring up the painful subject of Ansem with the silver haired boy.  
  
"I'm not sure. What I do know is that if we head for Traverse Town, we'll find him eventually. That's where he used to live, after Kingdom Hearts was closed," Riku replied.  
  
"Ok," Zephyr replied. They were silent for a moment.  
  
"I guess we should get going," Riku said after a few minutes of silence. The last shreds of sun were sinking behind the horizon of silvery water, smooth and calm. It looked like a mirror.  
  
"We should wait for Ansem," Zephyr said.  
  
"Do we have to?" Riku said in a mock whiny voice. Zephyr grinned.  
  
"We should."  
  
"All right. But since we're waiting, any idea if there's anything to eat around here?" Riku replied, both boys laughing after a second of silence.  
  
A few hours of looking for food turned up with pitifully small results. Zephyr turned up with a few purple plants that he assured Riku were good, and Riku turned up with a bunch of berries that looked poisonous.  
  
"We could always make Ansem the honorary food tester," Riku suggested, smirking at the idea of black coated man choking on a purple root.  
  
"I'm sure that he'd like those berries. Assuming that he lived long enough for his taste buds to kick in," Zephyr replied, grinning at the joke.  
  
"And I'm sure that I could always just take you two to another world where there is proper food," came Ansem's voice behind them.  
  
"That's good too," both boys replied, embarrassed that he had snuck up on them, and even more embarrassed that he had heard their jokes.  
  
"Where are we?" asked Riku, shifting the subject  
  
"I believe that this is the End of the World," replied Ansem  
  
"So I was right," said Riku, "Is it possible to get us to Traverse Town from here?"  
  
"Yes, I believe that I can get us that far. If not, we just have to make one or two stops. Considering my reputation around here, and the fact that people think you are dead, we would be best to go disguised," said Ansem  
  
"I don't think that there are any clothing stores around here, to buy costumes," interjected Zephyr sarcastically.  
  
"We'll have to improvise until then. Keep your hoods down, and try to hide your voice," suggested Riku  
  
"Why do I need to?" asked Zephyr  
  
"That way we all look the same. People will assume that it's some type of uniform or something. Plus, a hidden face attracts less attention than one everyone can see," said Ansem  
  
"Let's get going then!" said Riku  
  
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The trio reappeared in Agraba several hours later, only staying there for a few hours. They found a ship with warp drives installed, and "borrowed" it, in an attempt to not waste Ansem's power. On the way to Traverse Town, they passed the ruins of the Coliseum. Surprisingly, the skeleton of the old building was still standing, although barely recognizable, and it looked as though attempts to rebuild were going on. It seemed that the world had not been completely consumed by darkness.  
  
They landed at Traverse Town, in the alley, and were shocked by what they say. The Town was in ruins, obvious signs of battle everywhere. Blood stains were fresh on the walls, and sword marks and scratches could be seen everywhere. The hotel above them seemed to be all but destroyed, and the entrance to the secret training ground was caved in. Dust and grime in the sky blocked out the moon, looking like storm clouds. In the pool of water, a townsperson's body was seen, full of slashes across the back. He was still clutching a spear that he must have been fighting with.  
  
"What. . . what happened?" said Riku, feebly taking a step forward of the landing ramp  
  
"There must have been some kind of battle," commented Zephyr, "Do you think the Heartless caused this?"  
  
"I doubt it. Those are claw marks on that mans back, to be sure, but Heartless claws do not make one bleed usually, and the entire pool is red with blood," said Ansem, "Be careful. There is no telling who won."  
  
"C'mon. Let's look for someone who can tell us what happened, said Riku, exiting the alley. Zephyr followed, but Ansem went to look at the other door.  
  
"I'll catch up later," said Ansem. Riku headed towards the Third District immediately, running for the large door. Boards nailed it shut, although they had been hurriedly done. A few blasts of Firaga opened the door. Riku rushed to the small house that Sora had made his home after Leon and the others moved back to Hollow Bastion. The door was locked, but the lights were out, so Riku blew the door in.  
  
"Oh gods no. . ." Riku said, looking inside. The place was in ruins, bookshelves tossed to the ground. There were blood marks on the wall here too, and bedding on the small bed was slashed apart.  
  
"You all right?" asked Zephyr.  
  
"This is where he lived. This small one room house," said Riku, "What if he's dead?"  
  
"He's not. We've spent too much time trying to find him for that. Probably someone else was living here, and he left this world. He's probably out there looking for you right now," Zephyr said, although he himself doubted his words, "C'mon. Let's keep looking."  
  
"The First District appears to be fine. There are light on beyond the gate, but both gates are locked," said Ansem, at the door, "Perhaps someone there will tell us what happened.  
  
"Yeah. . . Yeah let's go," said Riku, turning his back on the small room.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"OPEN THE DAMMED DOOR!" yelled Zephyr, as loud as he could.  
  
"WHY DON'T YOU TELL US WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU WANT FIRST?" came a voice at the other side.  
  
"I TOLD YOU! MY NAME IS ZEPHYR, WE LANDED IN THE ALLEY, AND WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE!" screamed Zephyr again.  
  
"I don't think it's doing any good, Zeph," Riku said, banging on the door with a rock.  
  
"We'll let you in, but if you try anything, you will be killed or imprisoned," came a voice through a crack in the door.  
  
"Thank you!" said Zephyr sarcastically. The door opened wider, and three warriors walked out. One townsperson, and two that Riku recognized - Leon, holding his Gunblade in hand, and Cloud, his massive sword resting over his shoulder.  
  
"What weapons do you have?" asked Leon  
  
"We carry no weapons but our fists," replied Ansem, stepping forward.  
  
"That must be a lie. No one comes to Traverse Town anymore without weapons," replied Leon  
  
"We are magic users, but only to a small degree. We were wondering what happened to the town," said Zephyr  
  
"Heartless and warriors from many worlds away. They attacked one day, catching the town by surprise. We managed to fortify the first district, and eventually crush them, but small squads have been coming every since. We do not take kindly to travelers anymore," said Cloud, looking for bulges in their coats that would indicate weapons.  
  
"We don't mean you any harm. We just wish to rest for a while, and then be on our way," said Riku, although he deepened his voice to avoid being recognized. Leon looked as though he almost recognized the voice, but shook it off a second later.  
  
"If that is all you wish, then enter. But know that we are watching you," said Cloud, signaling the small group inside. The gates were slammed shut and bolted behind them. Cloud led them towards a small building, while Leon went to the Accessory Shop.  
  
"This is the new hotel. This is the key to room three," said Cloud, handing Zephyr a key, "Feel free to stay as long as you wish. Don't mind Leon. He's a bit grouchy towards anyone," he said before turning and walking towards the Accessory Shop as well. The group headed towards the room. It was a small room - a pull out sofa and a bed, with a small bathroom as well. Riku shuttered the window and bolted the door before removing his hood.  
  
"Well this place sure had changed," he commented  
  
"With that Leon character in charge, it wouldn't surprise me if it were like this all the time," Zephyr replied.  
  
"We should get some rest. We do not want to linger here too long," said Ansem, removing his jacket. This was the first time that Riku had seen him under his jacket. He looked much the same as the Ansem that had possessed him, but the spark of insanity was gone from his eye, and his face seemed to have a kinder curve to it. He also wore different clothes, and had shorter hair, only down to his shoulders. The effect all total was that it made him look more like a relative to Ansem than the real evil man who had almost destroyed all worlds.  
  
"Agreed. Tomorrow, we gather information before moving on," said Riku.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
The second district was no better than the third. Ruins and shambles greeted Zephyr and Riku as they explored the ruins of the town. Ansem was talking with Leon and Cloud about the details of what had happened, saying that he used to live in the town. Zephyr and Riku had looked through what was left of the hotel and gizmo shop, and were now strolling down the alley of the Dalmatian's House, which was one of the few things that had been left almost untouched. It was boarded up and abandoned now, however. Riku and Zephyr had both lowered their hoods, seeing as how no one else would travel beyond the gates. The alley was dark, shadows cast everywhere. Riku was moving some larger rubble out of their way, while Zephyr inspected nearby houses.  
  
"Find anything interesting?" called Riku  
  
"Nothing yet. You?" called back Zephyr  
  
"A few interesting shaped rocks. Does that count?" Riku answered. There was a slight pause.  
  
"You're joking, right?" came Zephyr's response  
  
"Not at all," Riku replied sarcastically, "And I just saw some pigs flying too, and Ansem's head just popped."  
  
"Well that might loosen him up a bit," said Zephyr, after checking to make sure that their other companion wasn't there. Riku stood up, stretching, and was knocked down by a flash of cinnamon hair.  
  
"Riku!" came Sora's gleeful voice, "You're back!"  
  
Riku untangled himself from the other boy, and sat up. "Miss me?" he said, "We really have to stop doing this, ya know."  
  
"Doing what?" Sora asked.  
  
"One of us disappearing, and the other trying to find him for a few years," said Riku.  
  
"At least we're predictable," said Sora, hugging his friend fondly.  
  
"So this is the infamous Sora," said Zephyr, stepping out of the shadows.  
  
"The one and only. And you are?" asked Sora, extending a hand.  
  
"Zephyr," the blonde replied, shaking Sora's hand, "Well I guess that this marks the end of our quest, Riku."  
  
"I guess it does," Riku said, "We've been trying to find you for two years now. Tough considering that we had no idea where we even were for half of that."  
  
"I feel like a celebrity. We shouldn't talk here though. No telling when Heartless will show up," said Sora, looking at the alley sadly.  
  
"You're right. Lets head back to the First District," said Zephyr, then, sensing that the two wanted to be left alone, said, "I'll run ahead and tell our other friend of our discovery."  
  
"So what happened?" asked both boys at the same time, "Well. . . " they both began.  
  
"You first," said Riku.  
  
"Well. . . You've probably heard it by now. After you left, I tried to find you, but couldn't. I got back here, to find that people from another world had attacked the town with the help of the Heartless, and nearly killed everyone. I helped push them back, and then Leon and Cloud were made the temporary town leaders," explained the seventeen-year old, "What about you?"  
  
"This is tough to explain. Basically, I woke up on some backwater world in the middle of nowhere, spent a while healing there, then tried to find you," said Riku, "Someone else traveled with us, though, and you'll never guess who."  
  
"Ummm. . . Beast?" guessed Sora.  
  
"Nope," replied Riku, leaning in and whispering in his boyfriend's ear, "Ansem."  
  
"What?" Sora shouted out loud, "Ansem? First, I thought he was dead, and second, I thought he was evil."  
  
"No. His heart was evil, but his soul wasn't. That was the part of him that survived and traveled with us," said Riku, but seeing the questioning look on his friend's face, he said, "I'm still confused on the whole thing too."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
A happy meeting came afterwards, when Riku walked back through the gates, arm around Sora's shoulders. Leon and Cloud were both overjoyed to see that the silver haired boy was all right, and happier to see Sora, as they hadn't seen him land. Zephyr was welcomed into the small group wholeheartedly, and, after much explanation on Ansem's part, they eventually put down their weapons and stopped sending death-glares in his direction. They even got an extra room at the hotel, so that they would all fit. Later in the evening, Sora and Riku sat in their room talking.  
  
"I thought for a long time that I had lost you," said Sora, looking at Riku, who was sitting beside the boy on the double bed.  
  
"I did as well. All the worlds we saw, and it always seemed as though you had been there recently, but that we had just missed you. I began to think that we were following the wrong person," Riku replied. Sora snuggled into Riku's arms, resting his head against the taller boy's chest.  
  
"I'm almost as tall as you now," said Sora, smiling.  
  
"Well I guess I can't call you runt anymore," replied Riku, ruffling Sora's cinnamon hair. Sora yawned, his eyes half closing.  
  
"I still love you Riku," he said weakly, before falling asleep in his love's arms.  
  
"Me too Sora."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Wow! 11 pages! 12 if you include this! Hot damn! I need aspirin. My leg has been cramping like heck. Be write back (pun intended). It's almost one o'clock. Anyway, that went better than I hoped, for the fifth rewrite. Anyways, I hoped everyone like it. A lot happened in this chapter, and I'll reread after I've finished the story, and possibly rewrite it again if it's still a bit confusing. The whole idea of the "nonexistent ones" will come out in later chapters. I hope you don't mind Ansem being good. I always thought he was a good bad guy, so I wanted to see if he could be good too. Next chapter: lemon, and a lot more story. Hope you liked my little ending. Yeah. Fluff overload, but Riku and Sora really are the perfect couple. Just to tell you: I don't think there will be any other original characters after this, but I may toss in a few minor original characters. Kairi may appear in later chapters as well, now that this story is taking place. Anyway, R&R all!!!!! THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS ALL!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!! Well. I don't if it will stop you from reviewing, but if it makes you review more, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! Well, that's all for my rants.  
  
Until next time, Exhausted, but still wanting to write, Dark Winged One  
  
P.S. I almost deleted this trying to save just now! Geeze! I need sleep. Write again in the morning all my reviewers. 


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